Becca's Gluten Free College Life

Monday, May 4, 2009

I haven't posted on this blog for about two years. I almost completely forgot about it until this morning. I decided I needed something else to occupy my time. A project, let's say, that I can put effort into when I am bored or need to simply write about something. Since my last post I have moved out of my parents' and now live with some other college girls in a house. The past year and a half have been really hard--emotionally, physically, mentally--because of school, getting along with new people, and eating. I was officially diagnosed with gluten intolerance by having a blood test done in January 2008. I did fine for 6 months until my birthday. I'm not sure what happened after that, but the summer was really hard for me and I ate way too much--gluten, sweets, anything. In the fall of 2008 I continued to have a really hard time. This spring has only gotten worse. One of my roommates is becoming a nurse and recently did a research presentation on gluten intolerance. She told me some of what she found out. Apparently even though my symptoms are mild when I eat gluten I still need to avoid it at all costs--even if it's dusting on Doritos or soy sauce or some type of vinegar--because I can be damaging my intestines. Eating gluten can also lead to diabetes, kidney failure, malnutrition, and cancer, among other things. Cancer? Diabetes? Even though I have only mild symptoms? Say what? And what do I get to eat? Meat (check label on packaged ones), dairy (but no icecream with cookie dough in it, and no waffle cones!), vegetables (but I avoid corn), soup (but few canned ones, because wheat is used to thicken), fruit (this is the easiest), legumes (beans and lentils), rice and other random grains (but no oats or barley, which includes malt, often found in like, every packaged thing), and sweets (though, being hypoglycemic means my body hates sweets, even though my tounge loves them!). Yes, this may sound like a lot of food, and in fact, it is. This diet is extremely healthy because you're eating a lot of raw, whole, natural foods. Next time you're at your local super market and buying your regular food items, check the ingredients list (everyone should do this all the time anyway). Look for "wheat, wheat gluten, food starch, wheat protien, barley, malt syrup, barley syrup, oat, oat flour, wheat flour, gluten," among other things. Gluten is in a lot of things that you wouldn't think of--dusting on Doritos and other chips, soy sauce, beer...

I need to start cooking again, because I haven't in about two weeks and have been doing really bad. Hopefully after finals are over I can get back into my normal schedule. I need to get back on schedule...I'm also asking for a camera for my birthday and hope to be posting pictures of things I cook and off things going around on campus. Lastly (for today at least), I am...wow got distracted and totally forgot what I was going to say.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Yes, I'm making gravy from turkey giblets. The fact that I'm using "giblets" cracks me up. Tomorrow is Christmas, so I've been cooking a lot today and will be a lot tomorrow, too. I had my wisedom teeth out last week and it's December, which means that I've been eating tons of sweets. I've probably gained 2 pounds. Seriously. I need to post because I've made lots of things, plus the camera is finally back. And I have no excuse, since I'm feeling better and I have no school or work. Soon, I promise!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

First, you have to observe my lovely Fiesta Ware mug that I got on sale the other day. Seriously, these things make me so happy ^_^ I actually wouldn't repeat this recipe, but I feel that it's important to put everything I make and take pictures of on here (that I get around to) because someone else might say "She's wrong, this sounds amazing" and want to try it. So, I made this soup the other day to use up some ham leftover from Thanksgiving. The soup turned out too bean-y, though, with not enough ham. Basically, no one is eating it! We'd much rather have chili, I suppose. Plus, the ham is glazed and good on its own. This soup would probably be good with just regular ham and much more!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Yes, I'm bad, I haven't posted in forever!! I've been busy. And lazy. And have been trying to let mom cook more because I have a control-freak issue. I have still been having health issues, so I went and had my blood taken again today. I am a little irritated and feel pretty awful (achy, bloated, hungry, angry). I made this a couple weeks ago (on my best friend's birthday, actually). I finally got to use my immersion blender on it. Whoa, that thing is powerful!!! I would love to use it on a soup, but I don't know the best way to without burning myself!! Mom and I finally got a really nice food processor, too, which I made coleslaw with the other day. I would love to use it for something else soon. I bought some white whole wheat flour the other day and would like to find a recipe to use that on. I tried one tonight but it didn't turn out so well...I used Smart Balance Light spread for the butter, but real butter is actually probably better for you, so go with that. This was a little watery when I cooked it, probably due to the small casserole dish I used.

Preheat oven to 350°. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Cut up the cauliflower and cook until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet on medium heat, melt 1 tbl of butter. Add onion, garlic, and bouillon cube until tender. Combine the cauliflower, onion mixture, and 2 tbl butter in a bowl and blend with your immersion blender (careful, it's hot!!) OR, combine it all in a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a sprayed dish (bigger than an 8x8, what I used, but not sure on the size). Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until warmed through. Should feed at least six, unless someone really likes it and is really hungry!

Thursday, November 8, 2007

I actually made this on Halloween along with a chicken with mushrooms and garlic dish. I hadn't really ever eaten pumpkin anything except bread, so it was fun to experiment. I was the one who liked this the best, of course, because I'm a pasta freak. I also tend to be the garbage disposal for new recipes--if no one else likes it, I feel it's my fault and therefore my responsibility to finish it all. I probably had this for six meals after Halloween. Throwing in sliced ham and warming it up for lunches was even better than just having this as a side dish, but you can do whatever you want. I used fresh sage from my pots, but dried would probably work as well. Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray's http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_77075,00.html.Pumpkin Penne1 pound penne pasta (I used Dreamfields but you can also used whole-wheat)2 tbl olive oil3 shallots, finely chopped4 cloves garlic, minced2 cups low-salt chicken stock1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)1/2 c. low-fat milkPinch nutmeg2 pinches cinnamonSalt and pepper to flavorAbout 10-12 sage leaves (mine were small, so I used a lot!)About 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheeseSliced ham (optional, but really tasty!)Follow instructions on box for cooking pasta, adding salt to the water. Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-heat. Cook shallots and garlic for about 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in the chicken stock through salt and pepper. When pasta is done, drain and add to pan. Sliced up sage, add cheese, and mix all together. Feeds at least 8Nutritional Value per serving: 254 Cal, 4.6g Fat, 1.5g Sat Fat, 125.6mg Sod, 46.8g Carb, 3g Sug, 6.9g Fiber, 10.4g Protein~Enjoy!Ingredients:

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

I've been feeling bad lately--head aches and stuff. Emotionally I'm messed up to. I really don't know what to do with all of my feelings. Every night I go to bed and lay awake dreaming about what to make next. Then I'll look on Blogs and get depressed because I'll never be as good a cook as other people (I think). I'm excited about taking a class next semester at a local Culinary School. I'm sad because I don't think my dream of owning a resturant or baker is practical or within reason.

Then I'm dealing with school and everything else.

But check out that green bowl! I love Fiesta Ware! I get sooo excited every time I get something new ^_^ We were supposed to have a cold front yesterday, so I planned to make Green Chili. It didn't really get cold. Oh well. First I had to track down Pale Ale. Actually, mom had to, since I'm not old enough to buy it! It ended up being a pretty expensive meal because of the beer and lean meats. However, it was a successful experiment. The meat was tasty without feeling like I was gaining weight while eating it. The lime and tomatillos added a nice taste to it. The beer was also what gave this a different taste...but next time I'd try some kind of wine or just more broth (because it's cheaper!)

This recipe originally came out of our newspaper, but I changed it around and really have no idea who to give the credit it--sorry!

1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, and spices, saute until tender. Add meat and cook until all brown. Add the tomatillos, japaneos and beer. Bring to a boil until the beer is reduced, but don't let it burn. You'll probably be able to smell the difference. Add broth and beans and simmer. Cook 10 minutes or so, stirr occasionally. Add spinach and stir until wilted or desired done-ness. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice (no idea how much :p) Season with salt and pepper and top with cheese!! Feeds at least 8.

About the (Wannabe) Cook

I'm currently a student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi majoring in English and History with a teaching certificate. I live with three other girls in a house and often cook for them. Why does this matter? I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance in January 2008 and struggle with finding time to cook and eat with this strict diet!